


Interlude

by LuckyZiri



Series: Ends of the Earth [2]
Category: BNA: Brand New Animal (Anime)
Genre: Blood & Injury, Brother-Sister Relationships, Character Study, Food, Found Family, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Light Angst, Mild Swearing, Ogami Shirou is bad at feelings, One Shot, Platonic Male/Female Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Violence, canon complaint, one shot series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25689829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyZiri/pseuds/LuckyZiri
Summary: Do you remember what it was like to want? To dream?—Shirou hasn’t told Michiru anything else about his past since the Story of Abiyad, but she’s determined to squeeze more information out of him. Unfortunately, it seems like someone in Anima City might be out for his blood—literally.[Takes place after ‘Bathed in Thine Own Blood’. Please read that first!]
Relationships: Kagemori Michiru & Ogami Shirou
Series: Ends of the Earth [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848598
Comments: 15
Kudos: 83





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> **PLEASE READ PART 1 BEFORE THIS! You will be confused if you don't!**
> 
> I decided to make this a series! I don't have a set schedule for it or anything, but I want to still be able to post something to ao3 while I work on my bigger projects behind the scenes. :P

The leather of Michiru’s basketball felt warm between her hands as she poised to take a shot. Her tongue stuck out of her upper lip—a bad habit that Shirou said would earn her a bitten tongue someday if she didn’t keep it in her mouth—but she was too focused to really notice.

She had to time this perfectly. Calculate the angle, adjust to the wind—

_BZZT. BZZZZT. BZZZT_.

Michiru yelped, dropping the ball, as her phone vibrated from her jacket’s pocket. “Huh? I thought I put it on silent mode! Who in the world?”

Melissa was hanging laundry outside, just above the practice net. Upon hearing Michiru cry out, she turned, “What’s wrong?”

Michiru swiped open the SnapCat app and covered her mouth with a snort. “No way. Look who finally figured out how to use the dog filter!” 

She ran up to show Melissa, who cocked her head. “Oh, is that Shirou? Why does he have a fake dog nose and ears?”

Michiru sighed. Why were all adults the same? “It’s just a filter, Ms. Melissa. I taught him how to use SnapCat after getting him a second phone from Marie. Look, you can do all kinds of funny faces!”

She swiped through previous images he’d sent her, which were mostly just poorly shot selfies. Half were from his office or from atop skyscrapers. The other half were of Kuro doing…whatever Kuro did. 

The one she showed Melissa featured Shirou making the iconic dog face. It was rare to get any humor out of him, but the longer she stayed in Anima City, and the closer friends they became, the more he’d started opening up. He might act like a cranky old man on the outside, but he had a sense of humor buried deep inside. It just needed some coaxing.

“When I first tried to show him how to use the dog filter, he morphed instead.”

“Ah,” Melissa smiled, though it was obvious she didn’t quite get it. “Well, I’m glad you two are having fun. He’s really lightened up since you came around, you know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile as much as he has in the past few months.”

“Eh? He has?” Now that she thought about it, she had noticed that he had smiled more. Not a full on grin showing teeth or anything, but he no longer looked like he was going to get permanent wrinkles. (Though the eye bags were always present. Poor dude.) 

Melissa nodded and flapped another shirt open before hanging it up. “Speaking of Shirou, why aren’t you with him today? I thought you were helping him and the Mayor?”

Michiru sighed dramatically and shoved her phone back in her pocket. “He had some boring mission thing today, said he wouldn’t need me, and Mayor Rose said I deserved a day off or whatever. But Nazuna isn’t in town right now, and everyone else is busy or something. I’m soooo bored.”

That got a laugh out of Melissa. “Well, if you’re so bored, you can help me finish putting these clothes up. Then we can go get ice cream. How does that sound?”

Michiru’s eyes instantly lit up. “For real!? Ice cream!?” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had some. Normally it made her stomach hurt too much, but it was worth it.

After finishing the clothes, they set off to the ice cream parlor. It was only a block away from the co-op, so not too bad of a walk. Michiru was more surprised she hadn’t even noticed it. She’d been in Anima City for six months, but there was still so much she hadn’t seen or experienced. The city was just that big.

A chime went off as the pair entered the ice cream parlor. It was a quaint little building with large glass windows, and the moment they stepped foot inside, a blast of cold air hit their faces with a force. 

To the left, a glass case showed off an assortment of ice cream cakes, and Michiru’s mouth instantly watered.

She side eyed Melissa. “Hey, it’s not anyone’s birthday soon, is it?”

Melissa cocked her head. “Um, no, I don’t think so? It’s…” She checked her watch. “August tenth. No birthdays that I know. Mine and Gem’s are in the winter.”

Michiru scratched her chin in thought. No birthdays, huh? She hadn’t really gone around asking for people’s birthdates either. That just wasn’t something that was done. Though Mayor Rose had held her birthday in June, and the entire city had celebrated with a festival similar to the city’s anniversary celebration.

“Why do you ask?” Melissa’s eyes trailed to the cakes. “Oh, I see. You want a whole cake don’t you?”

Michiru tried to laugh it off, but it wasn’t very convincing. “What! No way! They look expensive! We’re just here for a quick snack, nothing el—”

Her phone dinged. She whipped it out, expecting another weird Shirou selfie, but instead it was a text message from him. She glowered. Didn’t he know he could message on SnapCat too?

**Shirou:** Do not put that ice cream on my tab. Buy it yourself.

Eh?! How’d he know they were getting ice cream!? She glanced out the nearest window, checking rooftops, but there was no sign of him. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and shot another text back.

**Michiru:** This place isn’t owned by Marie you know. 

And are you spying on me? Weirdo.

**Shirou:** You’d be surprised where her dirty little paws have been. 

And I’m not spying. Melissa told me.

**Michiru:** Huh!? I’ve been betrayed. 

You might as well put a tracker on me.

**Shirou:** Don’t be dramatic.

Michiru was tempted to send him a picture of her making an ugly face with her tongue sticking out. That’d show him just how dramatic she could be.

**Michiru:** ugh whatever. Anyway, I have

She didn’t get to finish the text, but her stupid phone sent it anyway right as Melissa tapped her on the arm. “Michiru, it’s our turn to order.”

“Oh, right!” She shoved the phone away, already forgetting what she was going to ask.

\---

Shirou didn’t text back for the rest of the evening, which surprised Michiru considering every time she made a typo, he always sent her a question mark because he just…didn’t get it. His poor brain just couldn’t figure out how to fill in the blanks. God, sometimes he was such a boomer. It hurt her physically. 

He didn’t come home by supper either, which happened sometimes, so it wasn’t something to cause worry about. He hadn’t needed her for whatever case he was working on—that morning he’d assured her it wasn’t anything dangerous and something the Mayor just wanted him to look into.

Aside from the ice cream trip, the day had been…pretty boring. 

Michiru curled up on the living room sofa, idly playing _Animal Crossing_ , when Melissa walked in again. 

“Oh, Michiru!” Melissa put on a bright smile. “I thought you’d have gone to bed by now. It’s getting late.” She glanced at the nearest clock. “Hmm, and Shirou isn’t back yet.”

Michiru didn’t look up from her game. She was so close to finding the new cranky wolf character that everyone was raving about on Facelook. Just two more tickets…surely…

“Did you eat the leftovers I made? It’s not good to go to bed on an empty stomach, you know.”

Michiru sighed. Crap, she’d forgotten all about it. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t had anything to eat since the ice cream parlor. But she was so absorbed in that stupid game, and—

Wait. Food. Lunch. Ice Cream. Cake. Birthdays.

She bolted upright and suddenly remembered what she had originally planned to ask Shirou. “Hey, Melissa! Do you know when Shirou’s birthday is?”

Melissa blinked in alarm at the sudden movement, then pressed a finger to her chin. “Hmm. I’ve never asked, and he’s never offered up the information. Why?”

“Uh, no reason.” Michiru curled her finger around a lock of hair. Totally not because she wanted an excuse to eat ice cream cake or anything. Nope. “I don’t think he’d tell me even if he was in a good mood, though. So I’m just wondering about it.”

“Oh well, maybe you can find out from the Mayor. She and Shirou are close, right?”

Michiru supposed so, since it seemed like whatever Mayor Rose asked of Shirou, he’d oblige. But other than that, she still didn’t know much about Shirou’s past with the mayor beyond what she’d already told Michiru. After he’d told her his past as Abiyad, he’d promised to tell her more stories, and she hoped that included a more in depth tale of how he’d met the Mayor.

But that’d been three weeks ago, and he hadn’t offered up any more tales. She clenched her hands at her sides. Dang it. How was she supposed to learn more about him if he wouldn’t even talk to her? Yeah she could ask the mayor, but she wanted to hear him tell her himself. Like if he trusted her or something. 

Which, like, she knew he did, he did trust her. He wouldn’t have told her about Abiyad and Helene if he hadn’t. And he was sending her ugly selfies for crying out loud! The ultimate form of trust!

But he just didn’t talk. He’d rather keep things from her like all grown ups did because they thought her too immature to understand anything.

Including his birthday. She didn’t even know how she’d go about asking without sounding weird about it.

She sighed. “Okay, I’ll…figure it out. Sometime.”

\---

The clock on Michiru’s Switch read 12:34AM when Shirou returned to the co-op.

Michiru, unable to sleep, had remained in the living room all night to finish playing her game. But the moment he came through the door with a heavy sigh, she threw her controller down and hopped over the couch, nimble as a deer.

“Shirou! You’re home! Guess what, I finally found that character that looks like yo—”

She stopped short, her bare feet slamming into the carpet. 

Shirou clutched his right arm to his side like it hurt, and his eyes widened upon seeing her, but he immediately fell into his characteristic exhausted-stoic expression.

“Go to bed,” he said as he shouldered around her and into the main hall.

“HUH?! Shirou, wait!” She darted after him, her tail fuzzing out like an alarmed cat. Was that…blood!? On the floor? Oh no, oh no. “Why are you bleeding? I thought you could heal stuff like that!”

“I can,” he grunted. “Keep your voice down and don’t wake the Horners.”

Michiru’s hands flew to her mouth as she dropped her voice to an aggressive whisper. “Oh right. Sorry, but seriously, what’s going on? I thought you said this mission wasn’t anything dangerous!”

He slipped inside the main bathroom, already removing his trench coat and tossed it onto the tiled floor. The long sleeved shirt came next, and Michiru’s eyes trailed to the six inch scar between his shoulder blades. It was silvery, an old wound, and curved into the dip of his spine. A scar from when he was first killed. She’d only seen it twice now, mainly because he wasn’t keen on running around shirtless in human form, and his thick wolf fur obscured the scars.

A nasty hole marked his biceps. Blood trickled down his forearm and off the tips of his fingers. Way more than there should have been, but not so much that it was, like, gushing or anything. Still, it made Michiru’s stomach clench, and she grabbed a towel as he pulled out a bottle of cleaning alcohol and bandages.

“That looks bad,” she squeaked. “Is there—can I—?”

He shot her a sharp eyed look and thrust a handheld mirror to her chest. “Hold this so I can see it better. Don’t move.”

“Okay,” she whimpered. “But why are you bleeding so much? What happened?” Her memories flashed to the day they’d fought Yaba at the wharf. She’d never seen so much blood in her life, and while an arm wound wasn’t the same as Shirou being impaled through the chest, she couldn’t stop her worry.

He hissed as he pressed an alcohol covered bandage to the wound. “I was shot with an anticoagulant drug. Prevents blood from clotting, that’s why I’m not healing as fast, though my abilities _are_ working, just…much slower.” Using his teeth, he gripped a roll of gauze and wrapped the rest around the bandage. “It’ll run its course, but I won’t die. Obviously.” He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. 

Michiru didn’t see how that was worth even offering a smile. “Anticoagulate? But, why would someone even make something like that?”

“Someone, apparently, has figured out I can heal faster than a normal Beastman.” 

Oh no. “That’s bad, right?”

“Probably, but I’ll deal with it.”

Despite Shirou, Michiru, and Nazuna saving Anima City three months ago, Shirou’s secret as the Silver Wolf was still only known by the Mayor’s inner circle and a few outliers like Marie Itami, who had been sworn to secrecy through payments. Lots of payments. 

Of course, Nazuna had gone on to become a popstar, but also an ambassador of sorts between humans and Beastmen. For a while, Michiru had been a little bit of a celebrity herself, thanks to the Bears spreading tales of how she’d saved everyone. Shirou personally didn’t like being in the spotlight any more than he had to, but there’d been a few…rumors floating around. Some people were bound to catch on after all that had happened that night.

People like the Family. Who, despite having also helped save the city, were still criminals and a gang. 

“Do you think it’s Flip’s guys?” Michiru asked. “Or someone else?”

Shirou finished patching up his arm and rubbed his face on the towel. “I don’t think so. I didn’t smell Flip or any of his associates.” A long pause, and he stared at the floor in thought. “Actually, that’s what my mission was about today. The Mayor wanted me to look into the possibility of another gang forming in the city.”

Michiru blinked. Eh? She hadn’t even asked about his mission, and he’d offered the information? Just like that? Her little heart might melt, but she tried to play it cool.

“Oh. Uh, that’s also bad, isn’t it?”

“Very much so, but not unexpected. Gangs, the mafia, the yakuza, whatever you want to call them, they’ve always existed in one form or another. It’s bound to happen, especially as Anima City grows.”

“So you think one of these new gang people shot you?”

“Most likely.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”

Shirou stared at her for a moment, his eyes tired and shoulders sagging with exhaustion. “ _You_ aren’t going to do anything. Not until I get more intel.”

“Haven’t we established already that you can’t keep secrets from me and I will absolutely one-hundred percent run headfirst into your problems because of it?”

He ran a hand down his face, shoulders shaking, as he made a weird noise. At first, Michiru thought he was crying, but no, he was laughing. Very lightly and under his breath like he was trying to contain it. She was so shocked that she couldn’t even think to tease him about it.

When he looked at her again, his face was normal, but there was a hint of humor in his voice. “Right, which is why I’m telling you all this now instead of tomorrow. But I’m tired, and I’m going to bed, because I value having a schedule. I suggest you do the same.”

Michiru puffed up like a blowfish. “Oh bull _shit_! Your sleep schedule is worse than mine!” She’d woken up just last week at 3AM to pee and he’d been up, writing reports or something, while chugging three Firebulls. She’d yet to figure out when he actually did sleep, or if he even could. 

Did being immortal make you like that? But then he also drank coffee…so much coffee. The ultimate proof that he couldn’t die because ingesting that much would certainly kill a normal person. 

He bonked her lightly on the head with the soft part of his fist, making her jump. “Don’t swear.”

With a hiss, she smacked him away. “I can swear all I want! I’m an adult!”

A snort. “Right. Adult.” He stood, pulling the towel over his shoulders as he wedged his way around her. “But really, I am going to bed. If you want to come with me to City Hall tomorrow, you better sleep soon.”

Michiru’s ears twitched. “What?! Really? I can come? But you just said—”

“I changed my mind,” he called over his shoulder. “I might need your help after all, Miss Adult.”

He shut the door to his apartment before she could even think of something witty to reply with. Her grin was so big that it hurt her face, and she spun in a small circle, pumping her fist. “Yes!”

Wait. This would give her the perfect opportunity to talk to the Mayor tomorrow too. And then—

She shot up to her room, mind already abuzz with plans.

\---

The following morning, City Hall was busier than usual. Technically Shirou could go into Mayor Rose’s office without an appointment, but he made Michiru wait with him in the pearl-white lobby for at least fifteen minutes, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. 

Michiru tried to do the same, but she couldn’t figure out what the heck he was looking for. Several businessmen walked by, their suits impeccable, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. “Watcha watching for?”

He frowned. “It’s nothing. I’m just tired.”

“Tired?”

Kuro, who had perched on his shoulder, cocked his head as if to ask the same question.

He didn’t have time to elaborate, because right then, Ishizaki appeared at the bottom of the main stairway. He wore his usual business suit, and his brows rose when he saw both of them, as if he hadn’t actually expected Shirou to wait for an appointment. 

Ishizaki cleared his throat. “Ogami, Miss Kagemori. The Mayor can speak with you now.”

A slight rumble, not quite a growl, came from the back of Shirou’s throat. “Right.” 

He didn’t bother to wait for Michiru, who tailed him like a chick following a hen. Something…did feel off, but she couldn’t place it. Ishizaki kept glancing at Shirou with a strange, almost concerned look.

Michiru squinted at Shirou as they approached the Mayor’s office. He’d been fine this morning, nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe a little stiffer than usual, which was super weird because he always walked with a purpose, but he’d had the slightest hint of a limp on their way down here.

Wait.

She sniffed, slightly, near his injured side. A sharp, iron-like smell greeted her.

Blood.

Her head jerked back. It still hadn’t healed! Was the drug still in effect? For that long?

Shirou scowled at her as Ishizaki led them inside, but made no comment on her rudeness. She’d be in for it later though.

“Oh, there you are, Ogami.” Mayor Rose stood by her desk, flipping through several papers. “You know you don’t have to make an appointment.”

“I know,” Shirou drawled. “But I had some thinking to do.”

He’d kept his hands in his coat pockets since they’d arrived, but now he pulled the leather back, revealing a black tanktop underneath. His injured arm was bare of bandages, which resulted in Michiru letting loose a squeak, because the bloody mess looked…worse? It wasn’t bleeding out, but it sure smelled gross.

“I’m gonna throw up,” she whimpered, and he put all his weight into her shoe to show his disapproval of her whining. “ _Owwwwaaah_!”

The Mayor had already rushed forward, eyes wide. “Oh my, what happened? Is this from last night? Why didn’t you come in sooner? Does anyone know?”

“You’d think you were worried about me or something,” Shirou deadpanned, and Michiru had to cover her mouth to keep from spitting all over the floor. “I’m fine, it’ll heal. But the story’s complicated. It might take a while.”

Mayor Rose’s jaw tightened. “I have time. Tell me everything.”

He went into more detail than he had with Michiru, so she listened intently. In short, he’d investigated the wharf like Mayor Rose had wanted. That was part of Flip’s territory, but also where it was rumored that a new gang had tried to stake a claim. Shirou had found several different scents, all of them belonging to new Beastmen to the city, but nothing that would cause outright concern.

“There were about ten Beastmen there,” he said as he pulled the trench coat back over his shoulders. “But they didn’t try to fight me until I tried to leave. I don’t know how, but someone noticed me. Probably in the window. I expected the bullet to remove itself, but it sunk into my skin, and I had to rip it out. Again, I was expecting it to heal, but when it didn’t, I decided it was best to retreat.”

“That was smart,” Mayor Rose said. She sat at her desk, knuckles tapping the oak surface. “If you’d been shot by a real bullet, then you’d likely be dead.” She smiled at Michiru. “And I’m glad I didn’t send you this time either, Miss Kagemori. I know you can handle danger, but unfortunately, you’re not immortal.”

Michiru pursed her lips. Yeah. Right. 

Shirou continued. “I realized on my way back to the co-op that the bullet didn’t contain anything life threatening, just an anticoagulate.”

Rose’s eyes sharpened. “ _Just_ an anticoagulate?”

He made a face, glancing away. “Well…”

“Is it really bad?” Michiru asked. “Should we be worried, like, a lot worried? Could he die?”

“I just said it’s not life-threatening,” Shirou growled. “Do you have ears?”

“I have plenty of ears!” Michiru grabbed hers for emphasis. “Should I grow more!? Would that make you happy?!”

“I’m never happy.”

“Stay on track, you two,” Rose said. “Yes, this could be worrisome. Has this ever happened before, Ogami?”

He paused for a moment, eyes distant, just like the night he’d told Michiru the first story. His eyes were pale green in normal light, but when he went to the past, they turned gray. Sometimes Michiru wanted to crawl into his brain and see what all there was to see in there. He’d told her he only had twenty-five years worth of memories—lies!—but there had to be so much knowledge, so much memory. She had the attention span of a gnat, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested in stuff. Especially when it came to him.

“Once,” he said, “when I was in Turkey.”

“Turkey!?” Michiru exclaimed. “When were you there?”

He sighed so heavy that for a moment, Michiru imagined him as Atlas, the Greek titan who held the world on his shoulders. Maybe that’s how Shirou felt sometimes, considering he was the “god” of Beastmen. 

“I don’t think I’ve heard about Turkey either,” Mayor Rose said with an arched brow, and Shirou shot her an incredulous look that Michiru couldn’t begin to read the meaning behind, but the Mayor smiled innocently.

“Are you going to tell a story?” Michiru nearly burst out of her fur with excitement. “Now?”

“No.” He rubbed the back of his neck like it hurt. “But this was back when the Byzantines controlled it—”

“I know who they were,” Michiru whispered to Rose. “He told me.”

“—I was somewhere near Phillipi—”

“I definitely don’t know where that is. Maybe you should tell us—”

Translucent, fiery eyes snapped to her, and Michiru shrank back beside Rose’s desk, lips pressed. “I’ll just sit here. Being quiet. Not bothering anyone.”

“It was early in my immortality,” he said, enunciating each word and giving Michiru the worst death glare possible. Truly, she might melt into the floor from the heat of it. “The humans had come up with all sorts of strange weapons to try to kill Beastmen with. I still didn’t know how my powers worked, not fully, and in those days, and I got shot and maimed a lot.” A shrug. “Most wounds healed instantly. Some took a while. It just depended on circumstance. For all I know, it was because my body was still getting used to being immortal.”

“So what happened?” Rose asked.

Another shrug. “I got better. I healed. If it was a drug, it went out of my system, I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention to every single detail that was going on at the time. All I cared about was finding Sylvasta.”

Silence followed, and Rose pressed her interlaced fingers against her lips. Michiru popped her head out from behind the desk, and by Shirou’s exasperated look, she figured it was safe to stand by him again.

The Mayor tapped her forefingers against her mouth. “I want you to leave Anima City for a while.”

A pen dropped. Ishizaki’s. He’d been standing off to the side, taking notes, and hastily retrieved it.

Shirou didn’t move. Michiru wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

“You-you want him to leave?” She hadn’t meant to speak aloud, but she couldn’t snatch the words back. Shirou tensed at her side, eyes narrowed.

“No.”

It was a command, a threat that said, _Do not suggest that again._

Mayor Rose’s smile was well practiced and polite, and given how long she and Shirou had known each other, had to be partially why she was so good at it. She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “You can show Michiru the world and how she can become an ambassador to both Beastmen and humans. She would need to know how to handle all types of Beastmen, not just the ones here.”

His tone was a bite. “This city needs me. We agreed to—”

“I know.” Rose’s smile didn’t waver, but her knuckles had tightened. “I think this would be best for both of you, especially since it seems like you’re being targeted specifically.”

Shirou’s jaw clenched. “What about Nazuna? Isn’t this her job? To be a go-between for humans and Beastmen as a…popstar?” He said the last word with a hint of disgust; he’d admitted to Michiru that he still found the whole concert ordeal extremely unpleasant (to put it mildly), and that the current teen generation’s obsession with idol singers was too much for his poor old man brain. 

“Michiru has been looking for a job, has she not? She does excellent work giving advice and lifting spirits, much like Nazuna, but in a more…approachable way. I think she could learn a lot from you, in how to help people. But she’d do it with a much more pleasant personality, of course.”

Michiru let loose a guttural laugh that echoed through the office and threatened to shatter the ceiling-tall windows overlooking the city. She smacked Shirou on the shoulder and wheezed, “Oh my god, she’s right! _Pleasant personality_ , BAHAHAHAH—”

He jerked away from her, gaze still on Mayor Rose. “You can’t make me leave. I’ve faced far worse than drugged bullets and gangs with a vendetta.”

Michiru pressed her fingers to her chin and snickered. “Can we lock him in a closet?”

“No one is locking me anywhere unless they want to wake up with missing fingers.” A threat and a promise, but Michiru’s devilish little heart grinned with glee.

“Ogami. Please.”

Shirou’s head shot up, and for the briefest of moments, his expression…softened. Just a little, around the eyes.

“I can’t,” he said. “You know I can’t.”

“At least think about it.”

He didn’t respond right away, but his jaw was set, and his gaze focused. He’d made his decision, and it’d be extremely difficult to change it. If they could at all.

Mayor Rose sighed, not in defeat, exactly, but weariness. “That’s all I ask. Until then, I will not be asking for your assistance. You are to stay at the co-op until we figure out what’s going on.”

“What? You can’t do that!”

“I can, and I will. You’re dismissed.”

Shirou curled his lip, exposing fangs, but he didn’t put up as much of a fight as Michiru had expected. “Fine,” he ground out, and turned sharply toward the exit, his coat billowing behind him.

Oh great. That…had not gone well.

“Miss Kagemori.”

Michiru paused and turned back. “Yes?”

Rose suddenly looked very tired, and she tapped her nails against the desk again. “Do try to keep him out of trouble.”

Ah. “R-right!”

She bounded out, racing after Shirou toward the nearest elevator. Why they hadn’t taken it in the first place was beyond her. Sometimes he just had to be dramatic.

Shirou had already mashed the button to the lobby, and he didn’t look up as Michiru caught him. 

“Hey, wait a minute! Don’t go down yet!” She tried to pull him back, but despite being skinny as a twig, he remained planted like an oak. 

“Let go.”

“Shirou! You gotta think about what the mayor said, okay? I—”

He pried her off him, holding her by the scruff. “Stop before I do bite your fingers off.”

She flailed in his grasp, clawing at his arm. “First, _ew_! Second, you would not! Put me down!”

“Bet.” He morphed, snapping wolf teeth centimetres from her nose, but she didn’t even flinch. She was used to the scare tactics by now, and they were always a bluff. At least, they were with her.

She crossed her arms in exasperation, letting her feet dangle. “You’re such an asshole, but I’ve been tasked to take care of you now, so that means I have to make sure you go home, and totally not sneak off to fight crime like Mayor Rose wouldn’t want!”

He squinted, which proved her point. With a chuff, he morphed back to human form and dropped her. “You don’t know the Mayor like I do. And if you’re going to be a pain, I’ll lock you up in the co-op. Again.”

Michiru rubbed her sore hip and glared. “Absolutely not! See, I’ve got you all figured out too!”

The elevator door opened, but no one was inside, and neither Shirou or Michiru made a move to enter it. They glared, Shirou with his arms crossed and Michiru with his knuckles on her hips. If it was a war he wanted, it was a war he’d get.

“Got me figured out?” he repeated, unimpressed. “I doubt it.”

She waved a claw at him. “Trust me, I’m great at reading people.”

An eye roll. “Okay. Sure.”

“So here’s my question for you, Mr. Emo-Goth-Man—”

He made a face.

“What about Abiyad?”

Shirou froze. His eyes turned gray again as they dipped into shadow. “What?”

“Didn’t he wanna see the world? That was one of his dreams, his goals! He was young and spirited and ready to take on everything! Yeah, Shirou got to travel, but it was out of anger, not because he wanted to, and—”

Shirou’s lips curled into a dangerous snarl. “You’re on thin ice, tanuki.”

“It’s true and you know it!” She practically shouted it, and her tail fluffed up to match her mood. God, he was so dense. Stubborn as hell. She’d kill him before some stupid gang did.

“Abiyad is _dead_. You don’t know anything about him just because I—” His voice hitched, and the sound startled both of them. He cleared his throat. “You don’t know what he wanted.”

He turned away again, like he might try to escape her presence by running down the nearest stairwell, but Michiru wasn’t done. Was she pushing too far? Probably. But she didn’t care. She always pushed too far.

“What about Helene?”

Shirou stopped. Whipped around again, his form blurring at the edges like he was holding back a morph. “ _What_?”

Michiru stood her ground, fists clenched at her sides. “You heard me! What about Helene? Didn’t she want to see the world too?”

“What does she have to do with this?” he hissed.

She thrust a finger at him, pointing at his chest. “All those spirits live inside you now, right?”

A hesitant nod.

“That means she’s there too. So do it! Take her, take Abiyad, take all of them, and me! Like one big family road trip!”

He stared at her as if she’d said the stupidest thing imaginable, which okay, maybe it was completely out there and made her sound like she was crazy. She wasn’t that creative with metaphors. And who said he could even talk to those spirits? Did they talk to him? 

But that didn’t matter! This was about fixing his stupid brain because there was no way he could ever go to a therapist and talk about this stuff. So, if this was how she could get him to open up and maybe relieve some pent up anger and stress, then why not?

“Anima City will be fine,” she continued. “Don’t you think Mayor Rose can handle it? She’s been handling it for ten years, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts!” Michiru hadn’t realized she’d marched right up to him until she stuck her claw in his face. “This is the best way to help Anima City right now.”

“How so?” he ground out. “I’ve always been here—”

“But there are other Beastmen in the world, aren’t there?” Michiru countered. She had to stand on her tiptoes to get in his face, and he actually took a step back. “What if going on a road trip allows us to help others too? I mean, you’re basically training me to be your mini-me, and you can totally share stories along the way—”

“You’re just in on this to get stories out of me,” he growled, voice taking on an edge of mock humor. “I know how you think, you little shit.”

Michiru made a show of gasping and clutching her hand to her chest. “What vulgar language! And I thought I was horrible!”

“Yes, absolutely horrid.” Deadpan, all tone gone. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just squinted at her in that way of his. It meant he was one, disappointed in her and two, he was actually thinking about what she’d said. 

His head tilted to the side, and his eyes went distant again. Like he was listening for something, maybe. 

Finally, he exhaled through his nose. “I’ll think about it.”

It took all of Michiru’s willpower not to skyrocket into the sky.

\---

Ever since that day, in Nirvasyl, Shirou’s subconscious had put up walls. A normal brain isn’t meant to house two thousand souls, all of them distinct in personality and opinions. Most of them weren’t…quite whole, exactly, but more like fragments. Pieces. Their bodies had been broken so violently that their spirits had frayed at the edges. They weren’t meant to be bound together this way.

But sometimes, they slipped through the cracks.

After he’d told Michiru about Abiyad and Helene, the voices had grown stronger. Within recent weeks, there were even times when he said or did something that felt completely out of character, and he’d grasp his throat in horror, wondering, _What was that?_

Or rather, who _._

He didn’t have to suspect. It was always Helene.

Helene’s voice whispered behind his ear, **Her eyes are full of starlight and wonder and wanting. Do you remember what it was like to want? To dream?**

She was the one who’d “awoken” recently, and she liked to stick close to his walls. Though, if he were being honest, she always had. He’d just gotten good at ignoring her. She was the most intact of the souls, meaning she had the strongest sense of self awareness. 

He didn’t exactly visualize her, either, nor hear her. It was just her…presence. Her warmth. He just knew it was her.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as he guided Michiru back to the co-op, a soft hiss slipping between his teeth.

**Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, but you never listen, Bibi.**

“Quiet,” he growled. 

**I will not be quiet. I have something to say.**

While she had no physical form, he could imagine her as she’d been when she was alive. Hands on hips, head tilted just slightly so that her braid fell over her shoulder. She’d wear a look of disbelief that said he was stupid enough to say whatever he’d said.

He hated it. Hated this. He’d buried her a long time ago, and he’d been foolish enough to bring her back.

Michiru paused before him, brows furrowed with a look of concern. “Shirou?”

He hadn’t realized he’d grabbed his throat again. While he no longer wore the collar, sometimes he still felt its phantom touch. In its place, the smooth rise of his scar pressed against his fingertips.

“Not now,” he hissed. “Please.”

He felt Helene back off, but no apology was given. 

His hands had shifted into claws, and he hastily morphed them away. Michiru continued to stare, her brows in her hairline.

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t convincing.

She didn’t pester him.

\---

_Do you remember what it was like to want? To dream?_

To dream…

Shirou hadn’t dreamed in a long time. To dream was dangerous. To get too close to any of them was dangerous, and he was already paying the price for it. He had one rule: Don’t get attached, because they always died. And what had he done? Gone and gotten attached, not once, but twice. He’d helped Natalia to found Anima City. He’d helped her build her dream. And he would be a liar if he said he hadn’t allowed himself to make it a little bit of his too.

Now he had Michiru, who dreamed of a bigger world, a better world. His own dreams, they didn’t matter. He just wanted, no, _needed_ to protect Beastmen. He owed them all that, at the very least.

**It’s okay, Bibi. You can let your guard down, just once.**

Shirou rolled onto his side, a hand against his forehead. No migraine, thank god, but…

**Please rest. Please.**

“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” he snarled.

**But how can you, when you can not die? This pain, it will slowly eat away who you are until you’re poisoned with it.**

If he could wave her essence away, he would have, but she clung to the edges of his mind like a parasite. 

“Just leave me alone.”

**No. You’ve spent so much time helping others. Why won’t you let someone help you?**

“Don’t speak as if you know!” He slammed his fist against the headboard, rattling a painting on the wall. He winced at the outburst, and his now bruised hand, but surprisingly, no one came running to ask what was wrong.

Kuro cooed from his perch, his big eyes sad. Shirou sighed, muttered an apology. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Why was he always apologizing when it came to Helene?

His sister’s voice was soft, reserved. **I know how it hurts.**

Shirou’s hands gripped his thighs, threatening to tear fabric. Stubborn tears formed at the corners of his eyes, and he bit his lip, drawing blood. 

“They don’t need me anymore,” he bit out, and instantly wished he could take it back. No, no, that wasn’t true. He knew it wasn’t. That was a childish, petty thought. Of course they still needed him. Of course Natalia wasn’t sending him away for good. She was worried about him; not just his physical well being, but his mind too. He wasn’t stupid; he knew something was off, had been for months.

But what would he do without _them_? He didn’t know who he was, why he was still alive, if it wasn’t to protect, to remain here, where he was most needed.

To leave would be anathema. 

**But must it? You thought that too, once, when you couldn’t find the general. Your heart was so broken that it saw nothing but vengeance.**

A flash of memory, quicker than a second, and a small gasp escaped him. For a moment, his hands—the blood—

“Stop. Don’t show me. I remember it fine on my own.”

The air in his room was still, a soft hush. Helene’s voice didn’t come again, and for a moment, he thought she might have left to…wherever it was she went when not pestering him.

He smelled…

With a low growl, he pinched the space between his brows. “Come in, Michiru.”

A soft swear, followed by the creak of his bedroom door, and a blue-haired head poked in. “Um, I swear I wasn’t—”

“You were too. Come here.”

She did as told, hands behind her back like a kid about to receive a scolding. Even her ears drooped, and she looked at him through her bangs.

He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 12:43AM.

He sighed and patted the space beside him. “Sit.”

She sat.

They didn’t speak for a long moment, but her scent was alight with adrenaline. He could practically feel the excitement radiating off her.

God, what a pain in his ass.

Both of them.

_Do you remember what it was like to want? To dream?_

He scoffed under his breath and ran his fingers over a loose black thread on his sleeve. “Okay. We’ll go.”

Michiru’s jaw dropped, and she sucked in a breath like she might scream, but he slapped his palm over her mouth before she could. 

“Don’t. Speak. I’m not done.”

She exhaled dramatically, pretending to choke, but covered her mouth to keep from speaking. Still, her whole body shimmied, like she might burst into a thousand pieces if she didn’t get her words out.

“We’ll go.” He held one finger up and shook it at her. “But only for a few weeks—”

“You can’t travel the world in a few weeks!”

“—and this isn’t a vacation, okay? We have a job to do. I’ll train you like the Mayor wants, and if we run into trouble, we’ll help, but—”

“Uuugggh.”

“Don’t whine or I’ll change my mind again.”

She crossed her ankles and groaned. “I guess it’s better than nothing. But Shirou, this is great! I’m so proud of you!”

He made a face of disgust. “Do not say that to me ever again.”

“Noted. So, what changed your mind?” She curled her knees up to her chest and looked at him expectantly. “I mean, well, if that’s pushing too far—”

“You pushed too far the moment you stepped into my life,” he sighed. “And it…” He stared at the floor, brows furrowed. There was no way he was going to mention Helene’s voice to Michiru. He hadn’t even told Natalia. There’d be questions. Looks.

It was just his secret. For now.

So instead, he shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe--” He glanced at her, and her eyes were so wide that the stars from outside his window reflected in them. 

He started, and another memory flashed, from when he was Abiyad. Of Helene in Mother’s lap on a wolf moon’s night, looking up at the endless black, as the lights of a meteor shower rained. 

She wasn’t anywhere close, so she hadn’t plucked that memory for him. 

Damn it all.

He shoved Michiru’s head, making her squeal. “Get out. We’ll talk more in the morning.” 

“Is your arm feeling better, at least?” She snapped as she dodged his attempt to shove her again. 

Oh. He’d honestly forgotten about it. “Yes. I’m fine. Now go.”

She stuck her tongue out and bolted before he could touch her again. “This will be the best vacation ever!”

“It’s not a vacation!” he barked, but she was long gone. With a growl, he flopped back onto the bed and adjusted his sleeve, feeling for the wound. He’d bandaged it up again after his meeting with Natalia, and he could still feel his body trying to heal it, but…

It was still there. An ever present ache reminded him of its presence. 

He wouldn’t worry about it.

He wouldn’t.

With a long sigh, he rolled onto his side and tried to find sleep again.

**Author's Note:**

> I also like to call this series “Me, My Immortal Wolf Dad, and His 2000 Ghost Relatives Take a Road Trip Around the World”. :3c
> 
> Thanks for reading! I have at _least_ 4 other oneshots I'd like to write for this series, but ideally I'd like to have 10ish overall. If anyone has any time period suggestions, feel free to toss them my way! The next one I'm hoping to write about will be when Shirou begins his hunt for Reymond Sylvasta. 
> 
> [ Shirou Playlist ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HI1zUGJNYrb4B5D76kP4v?si=r7TzT1MFQg6JYfyN2X5IQw)
> 
> [ Tumblr ](https://rowdyredriot.tumblr.com/) / [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/FaindriArt)


End file.
